Presidency success helps protect ozonosphere and health
The Czech Presidency has managed to steer the negotiations between the EU Council and the European Parliament towards agreement on further improvement of the protection of the ozone layer.
The agreement on draft amendment to the EC Regulation on substances depleting the ozone layer was approved today by the plenary of the European Parliament.
“The amendment to the Regulation based on the attained agreement will significantly increase environmental protection, while limiting the effect of ultraviolet radiation on the human organism. It was a marked success of the Czech Presidency that agreement was reached between the EU Council and the European Parliament already in March”, noted the President in office of the EU Environment Council, Mr. Martin Bursík, on the result of the vote.
The main outcomes of the final agreement include, for example, a ban on production and use of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (so-called “soft freons”, HCFCs), which substantially deplete the ozone layer of the Earth. The production and use of these substances will be substantially limited and they will be fully banned on the basis of the agreement between the European Parliament and the EU Council with effect from 2020.
Since 2010 the use of newly produced HCFCs will be banned. HCFCs production will be limited to 35 % in 2010, to 14 % in 2014, to 7 % in 2017 and fully stopped since 1 January 2020. Only laboratory and scientific purposes will have an exception.
The use of methyl bromide and halon 1202 will also be banned from 2010. The agreement also encompasses stricter measures to prevent emissions of these substances. These measures include particularly leakage checking of equipment containing more than 30 kg of these substances. These measures were established in the same manner as the currently existing measures for fluorinated greenhouse gases. Export of these substances, particularly to developing countries, is also limited.
“The success of the Czech Presidency is a result of the Czech Republic’s long-term active engagement of the Czech Republic to work in the field of protection of the ozone layer at both the international and, particularly, the European level”, summarized Mr. Jakub Achrer, the expert of the Czech Environment Ministry for this issue.
Contact:
- Jakub Kašpar, Spokesman of the Ministry of the Environment
- Tel.: +420 267 122 040, GSM: +420 724 175 927, E-mail: jakub.kaspar@mzp.cz
Last update: 16.8.2011 15:40
